


All Good Things Are Wild And Free

by musikat18



Category: Pete's Dragon (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 17:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16836931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikat18/pseuds/musikat18
Summary: Gavin was more than a little confunded that he didn’t receive his powers when Pete came along. After all, how could the entire dragon incident not been caused by the most significant person in his life? He was more than ready to put the issue to bed...if not for the strange experiences he started having when this mysterious scientist moves into town. Could she have caused his powers surfacing? And if so, what is she to him? Friend? Foe? ...Or something more?





	1. Introduction Period

Gavin really didn’t have much a problem, anymore, and it was nice to see it settled.

With the “dragon incident” long forgotten by most, he’d decided that his quality of life had significantly increased. No more (well, actually just significantly fewer) judgy looks in town, no more avoiding in the streets...yes, everything seemed to have gone back to the way it had been before.

This is why, when his brother approaches him, he feels a little less antsy about what he could possibly have to say.

“It’s nice to see that you’ve kind of wound down, since two years ago,” Jack said. “All that stress on your head used to make me worry.”

Of course Gavin’s younger brother would notice that. He had to admit, he was a little jealous that Jack had come into his powers first, though he was rather relieved he’d never given his brother a reason to use those powers; telepathy was not what Gavin wanted in a brother, but he was a little glad that was what he’d gotten.

“Yeah, yeah, no need to poke around up there. I promise I’m not gonna run off chasing any dragons. Not like there are any still around here, anyway.”

“That wasn’t really what I came over here for,” Jack laughed a little. “Nice to know, though. I just wanted to know if you’d taken your lunch, yet. Grace was thinking the two of us could meet her.”

“Did she call and tell you or did you just know?”

Jack clapped a hand on his smirking brother’s shoulder as he brought him back to his office. 

Was Gavin a little jealous, still?

Perhaps.

Mostly because he didn’t understand, especially after the events that had occurred two years before.

His brother had unwittingly adopted a new child through Grace’s good intuition and sense, and Gavin himself had gone chasing a dragon, almost died twice, and had needed the support of his family for the better half of two years to regain some favor with the more disapproving members of their small town.

Was this one boy not significant enough to him to gain _something?_

He’d tried everything, every possible test he could think of for both internal and physical powers. Nothing. Nothing at all. He’d thought that something that had affected his reputation so substantially would have brought him something, but no. Not even a meager increase of strength (which, really, would just be handy to have).

This is what he’s thinking about as he stares out the window of his brother’s truck to meet Grace at the ranger’s lodge, letting the buzzing of the glass against his forehead soothe his hyperactive thought process.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Jack said apologetically. “Lots of people get their powers later than others. I don’t understand it, either.”

“The thought’s appreciated, Jack,” Gavin sighed. “But at this point, I’m just pretty sure they’re not coming. Trying not to think about it so much, anyway.”

“They could still come, though.”

“Jack, nobody new comes into this town. And even if they do, they don’t stay for long, anyway, so I’d probably miss them.”

“But Pete did.”

Gavin had to admit he was right. Pete had come into town, and Pete had stayed. But Pete was also now thirteen years old, only eleven when he’d arrived. He didn’t have the same choice that Gavin or, say, another grown adult did. 

But they’d arrived, and Gavin wasn’t going to talk about it, anymore.

“Guess I won’t know until I know.”

-

Gavin really is happy for Jack and Grace. He really is. Grace is kind _(of course she is, she’s a damned empath)_ but firm, and even if he and Grace haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, she makes his brother happy, and that’s really all he could ask for. 

They say that if you get your powers at the same time as the one who triggers them in you, your fates are forever intertwined. If they compliment each other, that’s even better; it’s why he had no doubt that his telepath and empath would be perfect together. 

It’s also why he’s having an even harder time pushing the thought of why he’s so stagnantly powerless out of his head as he watches Grace and Jack eat next to each other in near-silence. 

Oh, sure, he’s at the same table, but there’s a second layer there he’ll never understand. There’s a quiet, comfortable back and forth between the two of them that is so obvious and so effortless that it almost breaks his heart to think he’ll never get it.

“So, how are things with you, Gavin?” Grace asks, and he doesn’t have to wonder if it’s because she can feel his longing. 

“Pretty quiet. Girl Scouts don’t just glare at my house during cookie season, anymore, which I appreciate.”

Grace smiled kindly, “Natalie’s a good advocate.” That made Gavin grin; bless his clever spitfire of a niece.

“Maybe next time I’ll buy an extra box, just for her. How’s Pete doing, by the way?”

“Good,” Grace nods very seriously. “He likes writing a lot. Spends a lot of afternoons in the woods with Dad-- in the marked-off proper areas for hikers, of course.”

Gavin chuckled a little, “Yeah, yeah. I know, hold it against me forever. I’ve gotten better at coloring inside the lines.”

“You have,” she gave him credit where it was due. “Doesn’t mean I’m not gonna look out for the woods, anyway.”

He expected as much. It made him smile a little. For as much as he had to regret, he had just as much to be thankful for, and that was really enough for him.

For now.

-

“How much more are we gonna do today?” 

Gavin looked over the meager cut pile for the day. Not as much as in the past. Not since he’d been coloring inside the lines.

“Depends...how stressed d’you think Jack’s been lately?”

“Gavin, for Christ’s sake,” one of the other lumberjacks wiped his brow under the brim of his hat. 

“Just askin’.”

“...One tree. I’m not getting another talking-to by Grace. She can fucking feel these things, I think.”

“Don’t be crazy, Abner,” Gavin lugged over the chainsaw and began to line it up, “Grace can only tell human feelings.”

“Far as you know. Wouldn’t surprise me.”

Gavin shook his head and rolled his eyes. Abner was being ridiculous. It was one tree. One little tree. It couldn’t possibly have that big of an impact, could it? Grace might notice five or six, but this was just one. Besides, he hadn’t overstepped for two years. Just one tree couldn’t hurt.

He started the chainsaw and began to cut into the tree, when he was halted by a harsh, angry, feminine cry.

“HEY, SMARTASS! HOLD THE CHAINSAW!”

_Oh shit._ Maybe Grace really _did_ have the ability to feel tree feelings.

The leaves above him rustled, and Gavin squinted up between the branches. Something was moving up there. Craning his neck, he moved to see what it could possibly have been. Much to his surprise, you slid with practiced motion down the branches to the floor of the woods, hands propping you up on the ground and leaves in your hair.

“...Have we met?” he asked with slightly offended confusion.

“No, and be really glad I have no idea who you are,” you glared, “because I really oughta report you to my supervisor!”

“Supervisor? I’m just a lumberjack, and you sound a little confused.”

“No, I’m an ecologist, and you, sir, are infringing on my reserved research space!”

Gavin furrowed his brow and looked over at the tree. No markings that he could make out-- no ribbons that Grace had placed, no paint slashes from the cut or other groups.

“I don’t see your name on it,” Gavin fibbed, “and it’s within our boundary, anyway.”

You whipped a piece of paper out of your pocket, “Not according to the map I got from your supervisor. AND if you looked a little lower, you might have seen the sign.”

Gavin followed the tip of your finger to a small picketed sign planted at the base of the tree, not any taller than his knee: **Research Site of Terminus Co**.

“Maybe get a bigger sign next time?” Gavin asked, dry and disapproving, but he offered you a hand to help you to your feet. You looked him over suspiciously, not quite sure if you trusted the unrefined lumberjack, but you took his hand.

When your palms touched, a current of electricity passed between the both of you.

The sensation hit Gavin like a freight train. Nothing like this had ever happened before...nothing with anyone. He had to stare at your connected hands for a moment, wondering if you felt it, too.

Wondering if it meant what he suspected…

“I suggest going back to your work site before I report you,” you warned.

Gavin wanted to ask questions, a lot of questions-- probably your name first-- but the questions would have to wait.

If he ever wanted a chance to stay in your good graces and possibly learn if this was what he thought it was, he’d have to comply. He nodded curtly and gathered materials and equipment to head back to the cut with his puzzled colleagues, something strange buzzing in the back of his head.

-

You shook your head at the turned back of the gruff lumberjack. Sure, his shoulders were broad and his face was pretty, but that was a little bit ruder of a response than you were used to receiving from people stumbling across you on research expeditions. 

You looked down at your hand, unable to shake the tingling, electric feeling that had surged in it when you took the lumberjack’s offer to help stand. 

He couldn’t possibly be the one to finally awaken your powers...could he?

No.

You shook the thought from your head, wringing your fingers in your other hand in hopes that the feeling would finally fade, but as you picked up some more leaves from the ground and put them in your bag, you were surprised when the feeling began to spread from your right hand up to your shoulders, across your chest, and down into your other hand.

You flexed your fingers, examining the delicate green veins that surfaced on them, curling and coiling and then fading back into your skin.

But the feeling didn’t stop.

You shook your head again. This had to be a dream. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t. At this time? You muscled your bag up over your shoulder and began to walk back to your car, trying not to think about it so much. 

From the corner of your eye, you noticed something moving. 

When you turned your head, your eyes widened and your knees shook at the rising, curving vines and branches. 

The second they lunged, you started to run.

_Are all power awakenings like this?_ You had to think bitterly to yourself as you kept pumping your arms. This was far more violent and dramatic than you expected. 

One latched around your leg, snaking up to hold you still as thick brush and bark began to grow up around you.

Impressed and flabbergasted at the speed at which the flora grew, you didn’t even have time to call for help before the bark closed around you, and then you saw nothing else.

-

Gavin massaged his temple as he pushed open his door that evening. The buzzing from his hand might have faded, but it had been replaced by a strange pricking at the back of his head. Was this how powers normally surfaced? Telepathy? Was that it? Was this how it surfaced for his brother?

If he had more silence in his head, he might have had an easier time sorting it out.

Gavin shook out his head, trying to keep focus as he clumsily plopped his bag down on the floor and staggered to his room. He didn’t understand; if there were no people around, why would he be affected this way?

The noise was wordless yet deafening. He let out an incoherent grumble at the sound, not sure what this sickness was, if it was caused by mysterious, prickly you or something more normal….

He had no time to ponder what this meant, because the buzzing became too much, as he collapsed on the floor.


	2. Mutation

Gavin’s head is still pounding, pain behind his eyes as the light streaming through his window hits his eyes. The feeling subsides as he rubs the crud from his eyes...how long did he sleep? Did he sleep? He suspects he passed out, though he doesn’t remember drinking.

Memory slowly returns, and he remembers the tingling in his hand and the reason for the pain in his head and you, you, mysterious you. 

You have as much explaining to do to him as he has to do to you, and there’s no reason for you to not be back up by the cut today.

The cut…

Gavin lifted his head, craning his neck awkwardly to look at his alarm clock. 

7:30 AM… _SHIT, I’M GONNA BE LATE!_

“Fuck, fuck, dammit, shit, fuck, dammit, shit,” he mumbles to himself as he scrambles to his feet. His head is still a little buzzy...Gavin threw open the nearest window, sure that fresh air in the house might be a temporary cure. 

“Okay, okay, gotta change...shower, shower is good...fuck, fuck, dammit, why does this always happen to me?!”

“Slow down! Slow down! We got this!”

Gavin whizzed his head around, wondering who had spoken from the window. He was surprised when two birds flitted past his head and into his closet.

“What the-- Hey! No! Get out of there!” He followed after them, “Uh...shoo! No! Birds don’t belong in closets!”

“And yet, here we are! I thought you said you needed help!” One chirped back.

That was when it really clicked for Gavin that something was amiss.

“Okay, no, nope, you’re talking, birds don’t talk,” he said, the back of his brain buzzing. “Either I’m crazy or I’m still asleep!”

“If birds don’t talk, then why are you still talking, smartass?” A squirrel crawled through the open window, darting around a wobbly and confused Gavin and into the bathroom as two more followed behind.

“Hey!” he snapped back. He followed behind them, ready to corral them out, but he was surprised at the squirrels turning on his shower and pulling the curtain open. “What…”

“You’re running late, hotshot!” one squirrel remarked, jumping up on his chest and tugging at the buttons from the shirt he had on.

“Whoa, hey, HEY! I can undress myself! I’m not a--” 

It suddenly struck Gavin, as he fumbled his shirt buttons free, that he was not asleep or crazy, and that there was actually somehow a logical explanation for all of this.

“My god,” he muttered, absently pulling off his shirtsleeves. “My superpower is being Snow White.”

The more animals gathered in his room, the more the noise in his head pounded, and as he finished undressing and coated himself in soap, he began to wonder if it was even worth going in to work, anyway.

-

_ Thump. _

_ Thump. _

_ Thump. _

The sound caught Grace’s ears, making her whip her head around.

“You alright, Grace?” her fellow ranger asked, noticing her sudden distraction. His hand flew to the walkie talkie at his waist. “Is your Spider-sense tingling? I can call base camp.”

“Yeah, but I...I think I can take this one alone. I think they’d prefer if I did. They feel...confused. Scared. I’ve got it.”

Her partner nodded, “I’ll head back around to the car. Meet you there.”

Grace waved him off, the familiar sensation of someone else’s panic in her stomach as she followed the feeling. The thicker into the woods she got, the stronger the feeling became. _Panic...confusion...apprehension…._ She tried to send off vibrations of warmth in a gesture of acknowledgement.

The intuition and sound of banging and thumping led Grace to a thicker part of the woods, just outside the boundaries that she was so familiar with. She pushed aside a slightly sour feeling at seeing a half-cut tree nearby with a research marker underneath it. 

“Really, Gavin?” she muttered under her breath. Shaking off her annoyance, she searched for the source of the sound...no visible person was around, but the thumping continued.

Was...was it coming from inside one of the trees?

She tuned herself in a little closer to her surroundings. Almost like a halo, one of the tree trunks illuminated the silhouette of a female, pounding her hand against the inside of the trunk.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay!” she ran over to the tree and placed her hand over the rough bark. “I’m gonna get you out of here, just relax.” 

That turned out to not be the issue Grace expected, because the bark burst open from the inside, a stiff growth of greenery having sprouted in a matter of seconds right through the thick bark. The force of the break knocked Grace off her feet, but the ranger was undeterred.

_Must be a power mutation gone sideways,_ she mused in her head.

“Hello? Are you okay? Ma’am?” Grace slowly approached the remains of the tree, surprised to find a very shaky you, coated in a thin layer of sap that made your skin glisten. For all accounts, you looked unharmed. 

“I...I think I’m okay, now. Thank you for asking,” you said quietly, breath stuttering in your chest as you adjusted to the light again. 

“Just breathe,” Grace smiled warmly. “You’re okay, now.”

You were sure she was trying to comfort you, but you were too wrapped up in other things to mind much. Literally...your hiking clothes had been replaced by a sleek jumpsuit of moss and boots made of bark. 

“You wouldn’t happen to have a shower?” you asked meekly. “...Or a change of clothes? ...Or a ride back to my rental?”

“I’m sure I can take care of all of those things,” Grace offered. You nodded with a slow inhale, wondering just how you could get your hands on that smug lumberjack who did this and make him explain what the fuck had happened to you.

Especially before you had to get back to your boss.

-

Gavin rubbed at his temple, but no pain subsided. This whole powers thing was turning out to be a little more of a nuisance than he expected. If only the damn squirrel that had followed him to work would shut up…

“Either cut the tree or don’t!” the little guy yelled. 

Gavin gritted his teeth. If he could’ve just chucked the chainsaw at the little earworm, he would’ve.

“Do you have nothing better to do?” he called over to the tree. 

“Stick up the ass already, Gavin? It’s not even lunch yet!”

Gavin flushed with frustration as he turned back to his work. The headache was bad enough; he didn’t need workplace embarrassment on top of it. Determined to continue, he kept along on the cutting, even as the jackhammering sound of the chainsaw did nothing but exacerbate his pain.

“You sure you’re okay, Gavin?” Jack asked as the small band of lumberjacks headed back up to the main building for lunch. “I could feel your headache from here. You seem upset.”

A huff blew past the older brother’s lips, “I’m alright, I guess. I...I got my powers yesterday, and they’re being a real pain in the ass.”

Jack’s light eyes blew wide open, “You got your powers? That’s great! What are they?”

Gavin had no reason to feel embarrassed in his power, and yet, there he was, shifting awkwardly, “I...animals talk to me. And I can talk back.”

“That’s perfect for you,” Jack said,voice tinted with an encouraging lilt. “You love nature.”

“It would help if the only animals talking to me weren’t total dicks….”

Jack shuffled around at his desk drawers, fishing through them, “Well, want a painkiller or something? I can move you to the office for the afternoon, keep you away from the outdoors if that’s bothering you.

Gavin frowned at the prospect of something menial and stationary, but it was better than going back out to the woods to be heckled by a squirrel.

“...Alright, alright, I’ll stay back here. Grace might appreciate you being home a little earlier for once.”

Jack chuckled as he squeezed his brother’s shoulder, “After she came in letting me know you cut out the lines again? Absolutely. Call me if you need anything, alright?”

Gavin nodded his brother out the door, taking a seat behind the desk. Farther away from the woods, the pain in his head had dulled to a mild buzz, but this was far from the end of the issue.

Bending over what Jack had begun, he frowned down at the spreadsheets and began to work.

-

You craned your neck as you pulled into the visitor’s parking lot at the cutting site. You looked down at the paper faxed to you by Dr. Terminus and then at the logo on the sign. **Magary Lumber**...this was the place. You figured if nothing else, considering how long it had taken you to get all that sap off your body, you were at least going to report the site intrusion from yesterday.

Getting out of the car, you flagged down a thickly-bearded man heading for a pick-up truck.

“Excuse me,” you waved your credentials, catching his attention, “Dr. Y/N Y/L/N, Phytobiology division of Terminus Co…. Could you possibly point me in the direction of your office?”

He pointed at a small, brown building towards the center of the site, “Right over there, ma’am. My brother should be in there, he can help you out.”

You smiled kindly, thanked him for his help, and headed off.

The site was modest and functional, with some heavy machinery but mostly just trucks and cutting equipment and such. Some wood was sorted out into open piles; others, you assumed, were in some of the large sheds that were lined up a short way behind the office.

You pondered for a moment about if your powers might show, but you shook the thought from your head as you knocked, smoothing your clean shirt and tossing back your shoulders to appear authoritative.

When you saw who answered the door, your jaw ticked a little.

“You’re kidding,” you huffed sourly. “Mr. I-Can’t-Read-Signs is in charge of an entire lumber business?”

The man, however, showed only a hint of annoyance at you, jaw dropping and eyes widening.

“It’s you,” he muttered, but he quickly schooled his expression. “What are you doing here?”

“I was coming in to report you to your supervisor for trespassing, but it looks like that’s you.”

“Hey, normally I’m the hands-on guy, not the bookkeeper. My brother just left, he’s the real brains.”

You crossed your arms, “But you are a Magary, and this is your lumber business, yes?”

“Technically, yes.”

“So then this is a formal complaint from my employer!” you shoved the paper you’d brought along at him. Gavin scanned the sheet with his eyes, frowning.

“Dr. Terminus? That sounds completely made-up.”

“I’ll have you know,” you shot back primly, “that Richard Terminus is one of the prime scientific minds from the last World War and a strong proponent of scientific development for the betterment of the people!”

“Still sounds fake,” Gavin huffed. You groaned at his behavior.

“Well, if you’re just going to be stubborn about it….”

“No!” he said quickly and grabbed your wrist. You pretended not to be affected by the (unbeknownst to you) mutual tingling at his contact, “Wait. I think I need to talk to you about something.”

“What could I possibly have to talk about with you?” you yanked your wrist back. “You haven’t even apologized for almost killing me.”

To your surprise, you heard him sigh behind you.

“Alright, I’m sorry, I really am. If I’d’ve known you were up there, I wouldn’t have started on that tree.”

He sounded chastened enough. Slowly, tentatively, you turned and examined his demeanor. Humbled, you decided. He looked humbled, and you wanted to turn the other cheek.

You probably could’ve stood to act a little humbled, too.

“...Apology accepted. For now. So, what is it that is so important to you about me...whoever you are?”

It suddenly occurred to Gavin that you didn’t even know his name.

“Gavin. Magary. I...I think you’d better come with me. Don’t want any of the guys to see this.”

Your brow furrowed in confusion, and you yelped with surprise when he took your hand and began leading you out into the thick brush of the woods.

“Listen, Gavin, I’ve only been out in Millhaven for, like, a week,” you voiced your concern, “but the rest of the world’s females find it really concerning when you decide the first thing to do upon meeting them is take them out to a secluded part of the woods.”

“If we’re getting real specific, I actually first almost cut down the tree you perched up in when we met.”

“That’s...that’s not better.”

“Look, can you just listen?” he ran a hand through his thick, fluffed hair, trying to piece together a way to explain this without sounding entirely crazy. “Yesterday, I helped you up.”

“Yes, congratulations.”

He shot you an annoyed look.

“Sorry, continue.”

You watched him tentatively draw his fingers along his other hand, looking around with skittish eyes. This was not the same man you’d been confronted with yesterday, and it was starting to concern you.

“When I touched you, I think it triggered...powers.”

Your lips parted with a soft breath of disbelief, and you found yourself mimicking the gentle stroking of his fingers on your own hands behind your back. 

“Uh...I...what?” your voice quivered with nerves; this was the last thing you expected and wanted.

“Look, all I know is I passed out with a headache yesterday and woke up this morning talking to little woodland creatures like a goddamned Disney Princess. That’s never happened before I touched you.”

You furrowed your brow, fighting a nagging urge to completely run off, and not because you thought he was crazy, anymore.

Could he really be….

“I…” your top teeth raked over your tongue as you weighed your options. You were already worried about how to keep your job now that you were a lot closer to plants than you were before...now this? A stubborn lumberjack with puppy eyes looking to you like a cure-all for whatever weirdness he’d experienced that day?

“I have to go,” you decided, shaking your head to clear your thoughts and tearing back off towards the main lumber site and your car.

“Wait!” Gavin reached out to you, but it was all futile. You disappeared into the brush of the trees, and he was left wondering why maybe he couldn’t be a little more subtle for once.


	3. Socialization

You caught your breath as you slowed, finally reaching your car. You whipped your head behind around. Had he followed you? It didn’t seem so, but you winced at the sight of the thick grass that had sprung up where you’d stepped. Looking down at your hands, you frowned; the vine tattoos were back.

You needed to get this under control, and fast.

Taking in a deep breath to calm yourself, you shook out your hands, hoping it would make them disappear once more; no luck. You huffed your frustration. 

“Okay, okay, you can do this. They went away before…” you slid into the driver’s seat of your car and locked the door. “Um...begone.” Nothing. “Vamoose. Disappear. Go away. ...No thank you?” 

“Ma’am?” 

You jumped at the knock on your car window, and you physically willed your heart to stop racing. It was, much to your relief, not Gavin “I-Talk-To-Animals-And-Don’t-Think-Much” Magary, but the kind ranger who had driven you back to your rental. You darted your eyes down to your hands-- no tattoos, thank goodness-- before you rolled down your window.

“Oh, hi!” you said, feeling much more relaxed. “I...I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name earlier.”

“Grace,” she said with a kind smile. “Sorry, I was on my way out to lunch, but I felt your stress again.”

“Oh!” you shifted back a little imperceptibly. “You’re an empath.”

“I am.”

“That explains how you found me...I was pretty stressed out in there.”

She laughed a little, “Just a bit. By the way, did you happen to see the person who stuck you in there? I wouldn’t want someone out there possibly getting hurt by their own powers.” 

“...No, nope. I didn’t see anyone,” you said after a moment, hoping she’d buy your lie. “I didn’t see much of anything, it just kind of happened pretty quick.”

“Alright, we’ll keep an eye out over the next few days, though, just in case,” Grace nodded. “Are you grabbing a bite, too? Would you like to join me?”

“I…” you thought for a moment about what your co-workers might say about you eating with a supe, but you shrugged the thought off. It was just one person, and Grace seemed perfectly kind.

Besides, you might not have co-workers if your secret got out, anyway.

“I’d be happy to. That sounds really nice,” you smiled. 

You followed Grace’s car back into town, parking behind what you guessed was a local diner, Mel’s. It was average-sized and homey, with all the things you’d seen in movies, like waitresses in matching blue dresses and aprons and cutesy pastel-colored booths. 

“So, I’m guessing you’re our scientist…” Grace asked once the two of you were seated and your drinks were ordered.

“Yep,” you nodded, “Dr. Y/N Y/L/N. I’m a phytobiologist with a specialty in genetic mutation. You have some real old plants out in your forest, and my employer was very interested in sending me out to do some research.”

The redhead across from you laughed a little, “Bet you never expected that one might try some research back.” You had to laugh, too.

“Nope,” you said, “though, I guess with people with powers popping up everywhere, I guess nothing is given, anymore.”

This seemed to pique Grace’s interest, “Oh, have you gotten powers, too?”

You suddenly felt very uncomfortable having this conversation so publicly and were regretting bringing it up as you quickly said, “No, no, I haven’t. It’s hard to tell inheritance of the ability, anyway, since this really just started a generation ago, for all accounts at this point.”

“Well, the world is really different now than it was years and years ago,” Grace offered. “Maybe it’s just finally time for it all to come to light.”

“Maybe…” you said, looking down at your food as it arrived. You kept your eyes on your cup, lost in thought as you ate. You decided it was better to let Grace talk, which she had no trouble with, and not in an annoying way. She was the kind of person who, when she talked, you wanted to listen. There was a warmth about her, a kind of kindness that radiated. Was it just the empath thing? Or was this just her nature?

You didn’t think you’d decide, because you were jolted from your train of thought to a surprise visitor at your table.

-

Gavin had taken a little extra time trudging back to the main base camp. Mainly because he’d had a little company that he hadn’t been expecting, nor particularly looking forward to.

“Wow, way to go, Mr. Smooth,” that damned squirrel hopped down onto Gavin’s shoulder. The man shot the creature a frustrated look.

“First of all, you’re being a dick. Second of all, I wasn’t trying anything.”

“Were you trying to explain that she triggered your powers and might be your soulmate?”

“Yes- well, not entirely...I just wanted to know if the same thing had happened to her!”

“Right, so you opened with the ‘this has never happened until I met you’ line.”

“It’s not a line!” Gavin snapped back. “It’s a true observation. I don’t even- she keeps yelling at me! And you keep talking to me and...this is really just my own fault for talking back to you, isn’t it.” 

If a squirrel could look smug, this one would have, “You got a lot of issues from talking, my friend.”

“We are not friends.”

“Look, if you want to win her over, maybe start with the normal stuff first and then move on to the life-shattering revelations about your decided interconnection.”

“I’m not looking to--” Gavin took a long inhale of breath, calming himself. “I just want to talk, so I’m going to talk to her. Eventually.”

The squirrel muttered quietly, “If she hasn’t already packed up back for the city.”

“CAN YOU NOT?!”

Gavin swiped a hand across his shoulder, and his unwanted tree rat companion scampered off and onto the nearest tree.

“I can’t believe you called me a dick!” The little creature huffed, disappearing back into the brush.

That was it. Gavin was going back to town for lunch.

Hopping in his truck, he turned the vehicle towards town, Mel’s on his mind. This awful morning was nothing a greasy burger couldn’t fix. Gavin climbed down from his truck, feeling his spirits lift a little at the sight of Grace’s car peeking from behind the building. There, a friendly face and a decent meal. Things were already looking up.

The bell rang as Gavin entered the diner, giving a friendly wave to the chef in the window as he scanned the booths and tables for Grace’s familiar flash of red hair. There! He relaxed as he spotted it towards the far side of the diner, though his shoulders tensed again and he swallowed a wince when he noticed that his sister-in-law was attending some company.

-

“What are you doing here?” 

It sounded more rude than you intended, but you simply could not believe that this guy was here again. Maybe you were feeling a little short, maybe you were still a little hungry (even with the massive greasy burger you’d been craving half-eaten and sitting in front of you), maybe you were just really tired, but Gavin Magary was the last person you wanted to see at the moment.

He seemed a little hurt by your words, because he stiffened before he answered, “Free country, ain’t it? I just came to get some lunch, I saw Grace and came over to say hi.”

“I didn’t know you two know each other.”

“Gavin is my brother-in-law,” Grace explained. “I...didn’t know you two knew each other, either.”

“We’ve met. Once or twice,” you frowned to one side, taking a bite of your burger.

“Yeah, I almost cut her out of a tree,” Gavin explained, realizing he’d stuck his foot back in his mouth at Grace’s disapproving expression. “Almost! I didn’t!”

“Because I yelled at you.”

“Which, I deserved, and I admitted that.”

“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have been cutting there in the first place.”

This made Gavin sit down on Grace’s side of the booth.

“It’s not my fault I didn’t check for signs!”

“Yes it is,” Grace interjected, and Gavin looked scandalized. “Gavin, I thought you were coloring inside the lines.”

“...Sometimes the crayon slips out?”

Grace sighed. You buried your head in your hands. This guy was supposed to be your soulmate? Unbelievable.

“Alright, alright, I’m a dumbass,” Gavin admitted. “But! No one got hurt, right?”

You gaped at him open-mouthed, about to give him what was hopefully the final piece of your mind he’d need to get, but your pager beeped on your belt.

“Oh!” you said, glancing down at the message. “I’m sorry, my boss- he wants- I have to go, I’m sorry.” You stood from the table, leaving a fistful of money to cover your meal. “Sorry, I gotta go. Thanks for lunch, Grace. We should- again? Another time. I’ll make up for leaving. Here’s my card.”

Grace gave you an understanding nod as she accepted your card as you stood and bolted out the door. She then proceeded to turn to her defeated-looking brother-in-law.

“Do I want to know?”

Gavin sighed, “I finally got my powers, and I think she’s the one who triggered them.”

Grace’s eyes widened slightly as Gavin’s shoulders went slack.

“Gavin...you’ve got to take these kinds of things slowly, alright? You can’t just drop this on her.” 

“I know! I know! I just- I want to know her, I want to know if the same thing has happened to her, I...this is freaking me out a little.”

Grace sighed and took Gavin’s hand, doing her best to radiate comfort as she so often did.

“It’s scary. That, I can understand. But you’ve got to calm down, and if she wants to be a part of your life, then she will be.”

Gavin sputtered, feeling heat rising under his collar.

“I- What? I- I never said that was what I wanted! I’m not trying to date her, I’m not trying to get with her, I just want to talk! I- Grace, no!”

Grace placed a second hand overtop his, “Okay, sorry. You just need to practice some subtlety, alright? Give her some space.”

“I didn’t know she was even-” Gavin sighed into his hands, taking a breath. “Okay, I will. ...Do you think she’d care if I finished that burger?”

Grace rolled her eyes and flagged down a waitress to get her brother-in-law a menu.

-

Your tires squealed as you pulled into your parking spot at the portable lab, rummaging through your bag for your badge and waving it at the guard as you bolted inside. 

“Dr. Terminus!” you said, knocking on the wooden office door, as directed by your pager. 

“Dr. Y/L/N, come in,” your boss said, and you pushed open the door to probably the most tranquil thing you’d seen in the last two days.

Dr. Richard Terminus was a great man, and it was easy to see that, even when he was sitting and poring over papers and calculations, the state in which you generally imagined him coming out of the womb. His years were gaining on him, that much was certain, but he still had a strong shape seated behind a desk. His hair, once blond or maybe red-- you’d yet to decide, you’d only met him in person once or twice before-- was graying, though not as much as the beard that framed his face. The crinkles at his eyes told stories from family, and the ones in his forehead spoke of his years of innovation and discovery.

He was a living legacy, and you felt barely newborn to stand before him.

“I’m sorry if I’m late, sir, I was at lunch with a friend.”

“It’s alright, I understand,” he laughed. “Everyone needs a break every once in a while.”

You nodded, feeling incredibly relieved, and you squared your shoulders before you spoke again, “So, you wanted to speak with me, sir?”

“Yes,” he nodded, gesturing for you to sit as he slid you a familiar manila folder. “Henderson gave me this report the other day, and I was very impressed with the work.”

The label on the report inside made your stomach drop: “A Study on Parallels in Evolution Between Kingdoms Plantae and Animalia, by Dr. Thomas Henderson with contribution from Dr. Y/N Y/L/N”

_Henderson, bastard, I can’t believe he stole my work again,_ you thought bitterly. If you weren’t so determined to keep your composure, you might have yelled.

“You were?” you asked instead of lashing out. Your voice was a lot smaller than you might have liked.

“I was,” he nodded, “but the more I tried to ask Henderson about the work and results, the more he seemed to point to you for reference. It didn’t take me long to figure out he’d nicked the whole thing off you...I’m genuinely sorry about that, Henderson’s been dismissed.”

You tried not to look as elated and vindicated as you felt, “Thank you. So much. I can provide you with the research notes, if you’d like.” 

“That’s a generous offer, Dr. Y/L/N. I’d be pleased to read them,” he nodded respectfully, sighing a little. “Henderson was slippery, but it’s such a shame that he had to go. Especially since we’re downsizing the biology division so much.”

Your joy was replaced by a pit, and you fiddled with one of your sleeves, “Is...is that why you called me here, sir? Am I going to be let go?”

Dr. Terminus waved a hand to assuage your worry, “No, no, nothing like that. You’ve proven yourself quite invaluable, especially to our new initiative. Not many of us specialize in genetic mutation, and that kind of experience is becoming more and more relevant.”

You elected not to mention how that had become uniquely important to you.

“Yes, the metahuman phenomenon has taken the world by storm, it seems,” you said instead.

“And I’m proud to have you on my team, Dr. Y/L/N,” he smiled amicably. “You’re smart, a good worker, and uniquely qualified to this matter, I feel. Send me over those notes, when you can, keep up the good work, and I look forward to working more with your theorems in the future.”

You offered a somewhat relieved, somewhat tense smile, “Thank you, sir.”

You couldn’t help thinking as you returned to your office to gather the notes in question and walk them down the hall to the copy machine. Did he know you had mutated? Had your tattoos come back when you got nervous, and he’d seen them? You winced as a clump of moss manifested on the copy room door, grabbing a tissue from inside the copy room and wiping it down. You placed the top sheet into the machine and started the process. 

Fuck, you could lose your job if he knew. You couldn’t possibly lose your job now….

As you let the buzzing sound of the copier lull you, you realized that this wasn’t going to go away-- and you needed to either face it or find a fix.

-

At home-- or as homey as you’d made your rental-- that evening, you flipped through the phone book, searching for a number. You weren’t really sure who to look for, since you only had a first name….

“Wait, of course!” you smacked your palm to your forehead, “Fuck, of course. I’m stupid.” You flipped to the M section and found what you were looking for: Magary, Jack & Grace. You dialed the number and leaned against the wall as the tone rang, and your heart skipped a little when you heard an adult female voice on the other end.

“Hello? This is Grace.”

“Grace? It’s Y/N.”

“Y/N, it’s good to hear from you. Are...are you alright? You sound stressed.”

“Listen, I don’t really want to call Gavin myself,” you huffed a little, “but do you think it’s possible to have him come to the address I’m gonna give you? It’s kind of important, and I really need to talk to him.” 

She didn’t seem to believe you, judging by the long pause on the end of the line.

“Okay, where are you meeting him?”

-

Gavin’s mouth quirked to the side as he took in the sight of the small house he’d been directed to. He’d remembered it going up on lease a while ago, but he didn’t realize anyone had moved in. All Grace had said was to go to the address, and that someone he wanted to see would be waiting there.

It was still the pretty cream color he’d remembered, though one wall had some ivy crawling up the side, likely a new implant from the move-in, whoever they were. Not many people moved into Millhaven, and certainly not anyone who put down roots, for lack of a better term. The lights were on downstairs, so even though it was dark, he felt fine knocking on the door.

Gavin was a little stunned when you poked your head out and looked around suspiciously.

“Does anyone other than Grace know you’re here?” you asked pointedly.

“Well, I live alone, so-”

“Good.”

You yanked on his arm to pull him inside, and you locked the door and shut the blinds.

“Is...everything okay?” he asked.

You heaved your shoulders before sighing, “Kind of. It’s important.” 

Gavin’s brow furrowed as he sat in one of your chairs and leaned forward with interest, “So, you do have powers, too.”

Panicked by the sudden conclusion he’d made, you jumped headfirst into the lie that you were certain would keep you safe from this point forward, “What? No, no no no no no. I don’t have powers. That’s...no. Will you just listen to me? This is serious.” 

You pretended not to notice the way Gavin’s frame deflated, “Oh...alright. Um...what is it?”

You huffed a sigh, trying to decide the best way to go forward, “Look, you’ve been trying to talk to me for the last twenty-four hours, and I’m guessing it’s because you’re really freaked out. I just want to know what you want from me.”

A pregnant silence formed between the two of you. Gavin realized that was an excellent question. What did he want from you?

“I...I’m having trouble with my powers,” he admitted. “I get headaches, I can’t shake this one stupid squirrel-”

“Why are you talking to a squirrel so much? It’s been, like, a day, I assume.”

“It- Yeah, but- He just- Look, that’s not the important part, alright?”

“Right, right, sorry. Continue.”

“I...I don’t know,” Gavin frowned, “I just thought that since you triggered my powers, you might be able to help control them. I mean, you did say you were a doctor.”

“I’m a science doctor, not a medical doctor,” you reasoned. “Metascience is a completely new field. Hardly anyone knows how to work with metahumans to address their needs because there are so many possibilities.”

You had started to face away from Gavin, but when you turned back to him, he looked defeated. Something about his disappointment tugged at your heartstrings.

You were really going to regret this….

“Alright,” you said, crossing your arms, “I can do my best. But I can’t be seen with you, anywhere, any time, ever, especially helping you work out your powers.”

“Why not?” Gavin frowned. “...Oh my god, do you work for the government? Is that why you were so sneaky getting me here?” 

“What? No!” you snapped, “I’m just worried about keeping my job!”

Gavin looked confused, “But-”

“The world isn’t Millhaven, Gavin,” you said shortly. “Some of us don’t have family companies to fall back on.”

Gavin looked at you earnestly and spoke again, “Alright. Secret. Real secret. I promise. No one will even know I know you.”

“Good,” you nodded. “Meet me in the woods tomorrow morning."


End file.
